The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1887-12-29
Senator Plumb Wadss Through the
Presidents Message.
The Surplus Burden on the Fxscu-
tiVs's Shoulders.
How Wall Street Runs the Treasury
Machine.
Other Notes Gathered About the Ma
tional Capital.
SENATE.

which was adopted, directing the fish
commission to report what measures
have been taken for the selection Of q
site for fish cultural station in the
Ozark region of southwestern Mis-
souri,.
The resolution offered by Mr.. Beck
on the 18th instant, directing the post
Office commission to inquire into the
advisability of reducing the rate of
letter postage to 1 cent. was taken up
and referred to that committee.
Allison called up the holiday recess
resolution, and moved its adoption.
Plumb said he would vote against
the resolution, because he thought that
the proposed recess was against the
public interest. Congress would be in
session till the dog days, and during
that latter part of the session the
country would be in the midst of a
heated Presidential canvass. There
was no reason why the members Of
congress should go home for the holi-
days. In fact-that was a mere
pretense. Not one member
in dozen tat least of those living west
of the Ohio river,) would go home dur
ing the holidays. He referred to
Pugh's resolution that congress should
not adjourn till action was taken for the
disposal of the surplus in the treasury;
and said he did not agree with the
President in many of his statements in
the late annual message, and he did
not at all agree with him in say ing that
the responsibility of non-action in che
matter of the surplus would rest on
congress. For his own part he would
be glad to remain in Washington
during the holidays and legislate
on the subject of the surplus, but not
with any sense of that responsibility OF
congress which the President had set
forth. The primary responsibility for
the present condition of the treasury
resides, he thought, with the Presi-
dent of the United States, who totally
disregarded the law which required
him practically to spend the surplus in
the purchase of the national debt. The
Presidents excuse for not doing so was
that the provision OF law
was found in an appropriation bill
and was therefore lin the Presidents
opinionl merely a temporary expedi-
ent. He (Plumb) did not know any
warrant for the President distinguish
ing between laws passed by congress,
and saying that one provision of law
was less mandatory on him than an
other provision. 1t did not come with
good grace from the President to criti-
else the particular places where i'm
portant provisions of law were found
The President would find that in at
tempting to do so he will have pretty
large contract on his hands, and
disastrously to him. The President
in his message had omitted to state
one important fact, which was that the
last congress passed law requiring
him afirmatively to pay S1O,OOO,-
600 a month in the discharge of the
public debt, and that the President
had put that bill in his pocket thus
preventing its becoming law.
Beck remarked that the President
had paid the money out, even farther
than that bill required.
way that the President had fol
saying that he thought he could d.
better himself than congress knew
how to tell him. The senator from
Missouri Vest had made the welkiI
ring all over his state in denunciatiOT
of the national banks as the vampires
that were wrecking the substance OF
the people. He wondered whether
that senator did not smile to himself
UCH1nO IllO OOOI AAOA IL 90 W
d democratic President bring with hin
into his administration as secretary O
the treasury the president Of a ma
| tional bank and appoint as treasure
of the United States the cash
| Ter of another national bank
He would call that senator
attention now to another fact in tina
same line. The fact that the secretar.
| of the treasury was to-day depoSltin,
$40, 600, 600 of the alleged surplus will
national banks to be loaned to tn
people at such rates as their necessitie
| might compel them to pay. The bond
of the United States could be pur
chased at a rate which would yield 2
per cent, and yet instead of using par
of the surplus for that purpose
| it was given to the national banks T.
be used for their profit. TIL
| President had also forgotten II
take noLe of the fact that the river ant
harbor bill which appropriated som
| S14, OO0, 900 had failed, not because o
any lack of action by congress. A de
ficiency bill covering over s 900 600 hat
/ also failed last session because OF tn
neglect of the late democratic majorit,
in the house of representatives, AM
these two sums would have made YER
comfortable addition to the curren
funds OF the people of the Unitet
States at this juncture. He (Plumh
never did agree with the re
publican policy of the treasur
department, but that polio
at least was constant, and was no
under suspicion of being unduly influ
enced by the New York banks. Jus
as fast as there was surplus of SO
OOO, 900 in the treasury, under republi
can administration, it had been pu
out in the discharge Of the obligation
of the United States. 1t had neve
congested there until there was $40
OOO, 900 or $4,000, 900 of it, and the
emptied at once in order to NEE
the necessities Of Wall street
It never had been paid on
after consultation with the officer
of the New York banks. How muc
the treasury might have been crit
cised in other respects, it had neve
peen liable to such criticism as lay q
the door of the present administrator
1t was that it had no eye to anythin
lin a financial way) except what n
lated to the banking interest of Ne
York City. 1t had not taken into a
count the fact that all during the Ion
summer there was a lack of mona
necessary to the carrying on @
business all over the west
l 9TH COuHIIYs 0uOJAOI luSGtuC
of the failure of the administra5io
to carry out the will of congress wa
shown in regard to the Oklahoma cues
ton, where the commission provide
, for by congress to negotiate for the II
dian lands was not appointed. II
, thought it was the duty of the execJ
r tive to carry out such laws as cngres
} made. It was not the part of the e.
ecutive to assume that congress di
: not intend that q certain line o. polio,
plainly marked out in the Law, was NJ
Intended to be carried 5ut.
!. was within the competency
:, congress to say that Il
, surplus revenues of the gsvernmeI
t should be applied to the extinction
; the national debt until every dollar
g it was extinguished, the visws of Il
d President to the contrary notwitl
standing. He himself had never b
lieved in accommodating laEe sums
q money in the treasury, ard he had q
n ways urged on the senate the cuttiI
" down Of the surplus to tie lowest pc
o. sible sum. He BELIEVED In po
al treasury and rich people. he was
favor IF TaVIn0 eSATY dollar